A new budget airline called EasySky is poised to do battle with Spirit Airlines, the Miramar-based ultra-low-cost carrier -- at least on one of its routes.

Spirit currently operates a red-eye flight between Fort Lauderdale and San Pedro Sula, Honduras' bustling industrial center, often with advertised fares as low as $30 (before Spirit's assorted notorious fees are tacked on). But travelers trying to get from

South Florida to Roatan -- the main tourist destination, with famous reefs and beaches -- still had to contend with 1 a.m. arrival times and finding another flight (or bus/boat combination) to reach the island. If flying on major carriers like Delta or Continental, passengers have to go through Atlanta or Houston, and the total round-trip can cost around $1,000.

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According to Jesus Correa, CCO of EasySky Aerolinea de Bajo Costo, his Honduras-based airline will begin a direct flight between Fort Lauderdale and the tropical resort island of Roatan, Honduras, next month.​

In September, EasySky started twice-daily jet service between Roatan and the mainland city of La Ceiba for only 500 lempiras -- about $26 -- which not only beat the other local carriers but was even cheaper than the 90-minute ferry ride.

EasySky's website doesn't mention the Roatan connection, but according to Correa, it will depart Roatan on Saturday, December 17, at 1 in the afternoon. It will leave Fort Lauderdale about an hour later. The every-Saturday flight will cost $550 round-trip, including taxes.

About 40 miles long and two miles wide, Roatan is the biggest of Honduras' Bay Islands and is by far the most developed. Divers can find accommodations ranging from hostels all the way up to air-conditioned suites at massive beachfront resorts.

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EasySky's Boeing 737 will not only bring South Floridians closer to tropical Roatan but it will give the island's significant ex-pat population (estimated to be at least 3,000) a way to get from the isolated island to the U.S. in a little more than an hour.

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